Gaza: Egypt Responsible For Weapons Shortage

This week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed a new law, according to which anyone who digs a tunnel along Egypt's borders would face life imprisonment.

Sisi has shown real guts and determination in his war to drain the swamps of terrorists.

The tough measures he has taken along Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip have proven to be even more effective than Israel's military operations against the smuggling tunnels.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's uncompromising war on terrorism, especially along the border with the Gaza Strip, seems to be bearing fruit. It is a war that is being waged away from the spotlight and with almost no reaction from the international community.

This situation is a perfect example of how the international community and the United Nations do not care about the "plight" of the Palestinians as long as Israel is not involved. Sisi's war on terrorism has thus far failed to spark the same uproar, if any, that is often triggered by Israeli military operations against Hamas and its smuggling tunnels.

As a result of this war -- which began in 2013, shortly after Sisi came to power, with the destruction of hundreds of smuggling tunnels along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip -- Hamas and other armed groups are now more isolated than ever.

But it is not only the isolation that worries Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip.

Rather, it is that Egypt's tough security measures --which include the destruction of more than 1700 tunnels and the creation of a security zone along its border with the Gaza Strip -- have brought the smuggling of weapons to a near halt.

"The smuggling (of weapons into the Gaza Strip) has been stopped almost completely," admitted Abu Mohammed, a Palestinian arms dealer from the town Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. "Rarely does anyone manage to smuggle light weapons or ammunition."

Abu Mohammed revealed that the smuggling of weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip has virtually stopped since February this year. He complained that it has become impossible to smuggle missiles and rockets into the Gaza Strip.

Abu Mohammed said that the Egyptian security crackdown on smuggling tunnels has caused a shortage of various types of weapons and ammunition in the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Sisi's crackdown has led to an upsurge in the prices of many weapons, he added.

For example, the Palestinian arms dealer noted, the cost of one bullet, which used to sell for one US dollar, had doubled in recent months. Similarly, the price of an Egyptian-made AK-47 assault rifle has risen from $900 to $1300.

Attempts by some of the Palestinian owners of the smuggling tunnels to rebuild them have been unsuccessful due to the ongoing Egyptian measures, Abu Mohammed said. The measures include the use of explosives and wastewater to destroy the tunnels, he added.

Buoyed by the success of their anti-terror campaign, the Egyptian authorities are now studying the possibility of expanding the security zone they recently set up along the border with the Gaza Strip. The Egyptians say the move is needed to prevent terror groups from expanding their activities in northern Sinai.

Since the beginning of the year, the Egyptian authorities have discovered and destroyed an additional 240 smuggling tunnels along the border with the Gaza Strip. One of the tunnels was nearly three kilometers long and three meters deep, according to Egyptian security officials. The tunnel is the longest one uncovered so far by the Egyptians.

Egyptian soldiers prepare to blow up a large smuggling tunnel they discovered along Sinai's border with Gaza, September 2014. (Image source: Almyan video screenshot)

President Sisi has now decided to combat Hamas's smuggling tunnels also through legal means. This week, he signed a new law, according to which anyone who digs a tunnel along Egypt's borders would face life imprisonment.

The new law came amid reports that some anti-government jihadists from Sinai had received medical treatment in hospitals inside the Gaza Strip. The reports confirm fears of Egyptian government officials that the jihadists in Sinai are working together with Hamas to undermine security and stability in Egypt.

The new law followed another bloody day, when five people were killed and some 30 injured in bomb blasts outside a security installation, in the Sinai town of El Arish. Earlier, another terrorist attack on security forces left seven soldiers killed near Sheikh Zuweid, a town in northern Sinai near the Gaza Strip border.

Sisi has shown real guts and determination in his war to drain the swamps of terrorists. The tough measures he has taken along the border with the Gaza Strip have proven to be even more effective than Israel's military operations against the smuggling tunnels.

That the Gaza Strip is facing a weapons shortage is good news not only for Israel and Egypt, but also for the Palestinians living there.

It is hard to see how Hamas will rush into another military confrontation with Israel -- where Palestinians would once again pay a heavy price -- at a time when Sisi's army is working around the clock to destroy smuggling tunnels, and the prices of rifles and bullets in the Gaza Strip are skyrocketing.

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13 Reader Comments

George Michael • Apr 23, 2015 at 20:26

He is responsible for first arrests made ever for those responsible of burning Churches.First President to attend the Christmas mass in the Egyptian National CathedralFirst time to authorize the building of new churches sine the ottoman rule over Egypt.First Arab leader call for the evolution of Islam.First Arab leader to really have a peaceful relation with Israel, with true communication between the two Government.He is working very hard to reignite the Egyptian Economy,
He is fighting Hamas in Sinai and ISIS from Libya.

The only thing he is doing he is not sucking up to Obama and as a result Obama is refusing to help him or Egypt in Egypt war against terror.

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Luis • Apr 16, 2015 at 20:08

If the article says nothing else, and it DOES, it says that the EU and the US, the UN in general, are hypocrites for their accusations about how Israel defends itself against the Palestinian aggression--YES! PALESTINIAN AGGRESSION!, but is not too concerned about the very justified Egyptian defense against Palestinian nonsense.

But the article also illustrates how insane the Palestinian obsessions of today are: They are implementing the same methods of aggression which have never produced any, ANY, positive results of any kind, certainly none which improved the pathetic, miserable condition of the Palestinians.

How is it possible that the EU, the US, and the UN continue with policies that only, if not encourage, allow the Palestinians to continue with their insanity??? Please, Gatestone with your great analysis or someone explain that.

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Russell • Apr 14, 2015 at 01:29

The US and other EU states must next stop the UN from funding Hamas. No money, no bullets no weapons and Hamas will be crippled. Perhaps then the Palestinians could be persuaded to turn from this foolish quest to destroy Israel and take the Promised Land and seek peace instead of death for their children. But, it's probably never going to happen, they don't seem to want it that way.

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David Walker • Apr 13, 2015 at 19:25

Long live President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi!

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Beatrix139 • Apr 13, 2015 at 09:20

The advantage Sisi has is that Hamas doesn't start wars with Egypt. They've started three wars with Israel and are preparing for a fourth. Israel gets blamed for fighting back, and so there Is nothing to stop Hamas from continuing to try to kill Jews. It's accepted.

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billcarr • Apr 13, 2015 at 09:13

The media are despicable but I suppose they only supply what the majority wishes to hear. Bad news. It is very rare to see any progressive news about Afghanistan for example even though great strides have been achieved during the coalitions 'occupation'. The same with Gaza only news of Israeli 'aggression and inhumanity' against 'Palestinians' The large number of tunnels built and currently being built by Hamas go ignored by the world media.

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Lia • Apr 13, 2015 at 08:39

Such very good news, Mr al-Sisi! Please keep going. We're all praying for your success.

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Sylvie Schapira • Apr 13, 2015 at 08:28

Good for Sisi. But if the Hamas terrorists can't tunnel through to Egypt then they will make more efforts to get through to Israel. Bad for Israel.

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Hamdy • Apr 13, 2015 at 08:13

President Sisi has now redeemed his mistake for not listening to his people, his advisors and his generals who were keen to stop the chaos in Sinai and put an end to the havoc Hamas created in Egypt .

President Sisi has demonstrated patience and provided countless warning to Hamas (and other terrorist organisations). But enough is enough. We are bleeding in Sinai daily and the time has to stop the barbarians and to "clean" Sinai from Hamas.

Furthermore, I am sure one day, Palestinians will thank Sisi and his army for crippling the occupation forces called Hamas

I am hoping Palestinians in Gaza will wake up soon from that nightmare called Hamas to live in peace with Egypt and Israel. This is the true and real "intifada", against the real enemy of the Arabs in general and of Gaza in particular.... Hamas

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David Lee • Apr 13, 2015 at 07:59

I think this is good news. The only hope for the ordinary Palestinians trapped under HAMAS is to stop weapons getting through. The threat to ordinary Palestinians comes from HAMAS, not from Israel. If HAMAS attacks Israel, then naturally Israel will retaliate -- surprise, surprise. HAMAS do not care how many ordinary Palestinians die in the HAMAS cause, even though when attacking, the Israelis try to minimize civilian casualties.

Unfortunately, the thugs and murderers in HAMAS, Hezbollah, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood only understand one argument and that is not a peaceful rational one.

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I am an Egyptian • Apr 13, 2015 at 07:54

This move of the Egyptian Army under President Sisi is well overdue.

Egypt lost a golden opportunity late last year when it had the chance to co-operate with Israel to finish off Hamas and "liberate" the poor Gazans from those selfish and vicious barbarians who do not hesitate in sacrificing the children of Gaza for their own living while playing with the religion "card".

However, it is never too late to save our country and the surrounding Arabic countries from the Iranian octopus and its tails in Gaza, Hamas.

A big Bravo to President Sisi and a big thank you to our mighty Egyptian army for taking courageous steps in order to protect our people.

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Michael Maguire • Apr 13, 2015 at 07:42

That is a rare sight in the Middle East; a true Muslim statesman who governs his country by the rule of law and sanity! Kudos to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, may he live long and prosper!

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Gil Solomon • Apr 13, 2015 at 06:49

Sisi knows exactly what he is doing in his uncompromising fight against terrorism and Israel should watch and maybe learn something by his example.

Egypt in this fight against the terrorist infrastructure is acting like a sovereign power in control of its own destiny. Israel on the contrary is a democracy gone insane, even recently having resupplied in excess of 1,000 tons of cement to Hamas!

It saddens me that Israel is, by comparison, a politically correct basket case too terrified of world opinion to take resolute action on any front. It is time it got up off its knees.